Sunday Brunch: Shrimp Arepas Recipe

Making arepas on a Sunday morning is a great activity for a group. Making the dough, then shaping, frying, and filling can all be done with a glass in hand. And no individual task is too daunting, making this a great brunch for guests who cannot stay out of the kitchen, or even some anxious youngsters. Masarepa is a precooked corn
flour that can be found at most South American markets, or online.

Yield:4

Active time:45 minutes

Total time:1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Arepas:

2 cups masarepa

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups hot water

vegetable oil for skillet or griddle

Shrimp:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small long chili, minced

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

1 lime, juiced

salt to taste

sliced avocado, optional

diced tomato, optional

thinly sliced scallions, optional

Bibb lettuce leaves, optional

Directions

1.

Place masarepa and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Slowly pour hot water into masarepa, mixing with a fork until dough comes together. Roll into a log, wrap in plastic, and let rest 20 minutes.

2.

Once arepas, have rested divide in half, then divide each half into 8 pieces. Shape into short cylinders (like a hockey puck) then wrap individually in plastic wrap if not using right away.

3.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and sear each arepa until just beginning to brown, then transfer to oven. Allow to bake for 20 minutes.

4.

While arepas are in the oven, prepare shrimp by heating oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add shallot, and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and chili and cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp and lime juice and cook until shrimp are pink and starting to become firm, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Once arepas are cooked, split and fill with shrimp and any or all of the optional garnishes.

After finishing my degree from the University of Toronto in Studio Art and English I moved to Boston to complete my MA in the Gastronomy program at Boston University and a culinary diploma from The Cambridge Culinary School of Arts. My husband and I operate a drum and bass record store, and have two cats, Rita and Sheryl. You can find me posting weekly here on SE in my two columns, British Bites and Sunday Brunch, or every once in a while in the Boston Globe.

PREVIEW YOUR COMMENT

HTML Hints

Comment Guidelines

Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more in the Comment Policy section of our Terms of Use page.